Electrical and Dielectric Characterization Using a Mobile and Compact High-Voltage Test and Measurement Facility “MACTAM” for Educational, Scientific and Industrial Applications

Extending service life and using environmentally friendly materials while designing HVAC and HVDC equipment are meaningful contributions for a sustainable energy transition based on renewable energies to achieve climate targets. This paper presents a mobile and compact high voltage test and measurement facility (MACTAM) used for the electrical and dielectric characterization of insulating materials and systems in the context of educational, scientific and industrial applications. First, the basic concept, the main structure and the major components of MACTAM are introduced and discussed, showing the possibilities and limitations with regard to the electric and dielectric characterization. Exemplarily, major applications from an educational, scientific and industrial context are presented, such as dissipation factor measurements, partial discharge diagnostics at AC and DC voltages, capacitance measurements, surface and volume resistivity measurements, conductivity measurements, frequency domain spectroscopy within a frequency range <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$5 \mu ~\text{Hz}$</tex>. 20 MHz, time domain spectroscopy, polarization and depolarization currents analysis, space charge measurements, dielectric strength at small distances at different voltage shapes, accelerated aging examinations. Due to the modular and flexible design of MACTAM, a huge variety of applications can be performed assessing the properties of liquid and solid insulating materials within a range of technical temperatures. Finally, the paper proposes the use of MACTAM as a powerful and safe tool for companies, universities and research institutions with limited or no access to conventional high voltage laboratories. With its mobile and compact structure, MACTAM can be used at minimum room requirements and at changing locations still following Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL3). Additionally, practical remote control through an implemented IoT-interface is possible by adding certain IT-equipment.